1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a package for at least one disc provided with a central center hole, the package comprising a plurality of rectangular component parts connected to one another so as to be swivellable about parallel swivelling axes, said component parts including two covers arranged on mutually opposite outer sides, and an intermediate disc carrier part which is arranged between the said covers and carries clamping elements which serve to secure a disc in the region of the center hole.
2. Description of the Related Art
A package of the kind referred to above is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. 4,535,888.
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the known package for packaging digital, optically readable audio discs, the so-called standardized compact discs or CD's. Two to four CD's 3 having a center hole 1 can be packed in the package. The package comprises three parts connected to one another so as to be swivellable about parallel swivelling axes 5 and 7, said parts including two covers 9, provided at mutually opposite outer sides, and an intermediate part 11, which is provided between the said covers and acts as a disc carrier. The two covers 9 and the disc carrier 11 have clamping elements 15 and 13 respectively, which are assigned to clamping arrangements 19 and 17 respectively, each of which is provided with eight clamping elements. These are provided in a circle in such a way that they fit with slight clamping into the center hole 1 of the disc 3, in order to hold the disc clamped.
The known package illustrated, also referred to below as multiple package, is suitable for packaging two, three or four discs. The disc carrier 11 can namely be provided on only one side or on both sides with a clamping arrangement 17, as required. The covers 9 are always provided with clamping arrangements 19. The package is substantially made up of component parts which are in themselves also already used in the known package for accommodating just one CD. This older known package is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, FIG. 2 being a diagrammatic view of the package with the cover opened and FIG. 3 being an exploded view.
The known package according to FIGS. 2 and 3, referred to below as individual package, comprises three plastic parts, namely a cover 21, a base 23 and a carrying element 25, provided in the base by means of a locking connection, for a disc 27 having a center hole 29. Again there are clamping elements 27 of a clamping arrangement 29 on the carrying element. The cover 21 and the base 23 are produced from a transparent plastic. A printed insert 31 can be accommodated in the cover and an insert 33 can be accommodated in the base. The two inserts are visible from outside through the transparent cover and determine the appearance of the package. The package can thereby be adapted to the information, e.g. music, recorded on the disc 27. Insert 31 is pushed under the knobs 35 and 37 of the cover. Insert 33 is pushed under the carrying element 25 and is thereby enclosed in the base 23.
The two covers 9 of the multiple package correspond to the base 23, with the carrying element 25 provided therein, of the individual package, so that it is possible in an economical manner to use standardized component parts for some of the parts needed for the multiple package. Added to this is the intermediate part acting as disc carrier 11, which can be provided on only one side or on both sides, as required, with a clamping arrangement 17 to be fitted individually. In this way, the multiple package is suitable for packaging two, three or four discs. In the case of the multiple package, too, inserts corresponding to insert 33 of the individual package are used, it thus also being possible to adapt the appearance of the multiple package as required to the music recorded on the CD's by the printing of the inserts used.
Because of the familiarity of the public with the packages illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, the description of further details has been omitted. The multiple package is used by the record companies in those cases in which the consumer is offered a quantity of related music with a playing time which exceeds that of a single CD. This is, for example, the case with long musical works, such as operas, or with so-called compilation discs and the like. Practical experience has shown, however, that, in approximately 70% of cases, only two CD's are offered simultaneously. Packaging of only two CD's in the known multiple package leads to the cost and the volume of the package being relatively high in relation to the cost and the volume of the discs offered. The multiple package comprises at least five component parts, being the two covers 9 with the carrying elements 39 provided therein and the disc carrier 11. In addition to these five plastics parts there are also the two inserts in the two covers 9. The number of component parts is thus relatively high. A consequence of the use of the package according to FIG. 1 is furthermore that the CD's packaged therein cannot be readily offered for sale in the sales stands customary in the trade since these have been designed for the much more common individual package.